7156
General Discussion Area / Re: Anagram tube map
« on: 29 January 2012, 20:14:14 »
I see TB has named one of the stations: A Retard Cottonmouth 
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7157
General Discussion Area / Re: Greece to cede sovereignty?
« on: 29 January 2012, 18:58:19 »
No, as those that can do and those that can't talk about it. 
I prefer doing real work, which creates real things.
I also wouldn't want to upstage Nigel Farage by telling them what a pathetic shower of sh*t they all are, and that they are the problem not the solution. Telling Fuhrer Merkel, Germany is up to their old tricks again with Greece and handing he a Nazi uniform and Hitler 'tash, would do nothing for Anglo-German relations.
I prefer doing real work, which creates real things.
I also wouldn't want to upstage Nigel Farage by telling them what a pathetic shower of sh*t they all are, and that they are the problem not the solution. Telling Fuhrer Merkel, Germany is up to their old tricks again with Greece and handing he a Nazi uniform and Hitler 'tash, would do nothing for Anglo-German relations.
7158
General Discussion Area / Re: Very cold weather on the way
« on: 29 January 2012, 18:37:40 »
Just been speaking to the wife in the Ukraine where they are having their first real cold weather of the winter it was -19degC this morning. They have no gas at the moment where pipe has frozen. Fortunately, they have a dual fuel boiler for this sort of situation of gas or wood.
So, I looked up the weather for next week where she is in the Ukraine and told her to make the most of the warm weather.
As this is what they have forecast, with North or North-East winds straight from Siberia:
Sun: High: -10degC, Low: -16degC Snowing all night
Mon: High: -9degC, Low: -20degC Snowing tomorrow morning
Tue: High: -13degC, Low: -20degC
Wed: High: -16degC, Low: -24degC
Thu: High: -16degC, Low: -26degC
Fri: High: -11degC, Low: -21degC
In north Ukraine it has been as low as -31degC in the last week.
My wife has just called to say their gas is on again, where her brother found the pressure regulator valve was frozen, which he has unfrozen and they have now lagged it to try and stop it happening again.
Clothing in weather like is is measured in layers!
My wife also said that some of the village had been fishing on the local lake, for several hours today, they had made holes in ice.
So, I looked up the weather for next week where she is in the Ukraine and told her to make the most of the warm weather.
As this is what they have forecast, with North or North-East winds straight from Siberia:
Sun: High: -10degC, Low: -16degC Snowing all night
Mon: High: -9degC, Low: -20degC Snowing tomorrow morning
Tue: High: -13degC, Low: -20degC
Wed: High: -16degC, Low: -24degC
Thu: High: -16degC, Low: -26degC
Fri: High: -11degC, Low: -21degC
In north Ukraine it has been as low as -31degC in the last week.
My wife has just called to say their gas is on again, where her brother found the pressure regulator valve was frozen, which he has unfrozen and they have now lagged it to try and stop it happening again.
Clothing in weather like is is measured in layers!
My wife also said that some of the village had been fishing on the local lake, for several hours today, they had made holes in ice.
7159
General Discussion Area / Re: Greece to cede sovereignty?
« on: 29 January 2012, 18:05:41 »
Germany's at it again, some things never change, if you have read the history of the Nazi party, once Hitler had gained power through democratic elections, he created a series of crisis to consolidate it. Taking temporary special powers that then become permanent. So this latest German diktat could have been written, and would have certainly won the approval of that 19th century megalomanic madman himself.
These sorts of ultimatums were made by the megalomanic madman to annex Austria, Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia and finally the rest of Czechoslovakia. He came unstuck over Poland and as they say the rest is history.
The really bad news is that the more I read and research the into the causes of the Euro crisis, the more I realize that Germany is at the heart of it, with the French theirParis is an open city compliant poodle, lapping up to them and providing the clout they need to be the major dominant European power. They need the EU countries for this otherwise the most powerful European country will become Russia again.
1. Germany and France drove a train through the original Euro stability pact, which stated sovereign debt must not exceed 60% of GDP and a maximum budget deficit of 3%. When Germany and France were confronted by the EU commission, Germany and France got other Governments to vote with them (including the fool Brown) to defeat the EU commission.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16761087
2. Part of the Eurozone rules include a pact that there would be a target for wages to increases in all of the Eurozone countries by 2% per year. France, stuck to this 2% target, Southern Europe broke it by exceeding 2% and Germany broke it by targeting a lower in reality 1.4%. This gave them a competitive advantage with lower prices for goods, which in turn has boosted their trade surplaces and increased the trade in-balances and stresses between the Eurozone countries.
http://seekerblog.com/2012/01/17/euro-crisis-german-unit-labor-cost-repression-is-the-primary-cause-of-periphery-stress/
3. Greece should have defaulted in 2010, rather than being bailed out. If she had done so, it would have stabilized her economy and the country would probably be growing now, the same applies to Ireland, Portugal should be currently considering it and in the future so should Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium and France. Countries defaulting is a surprisingly common occurrence, with 50% (yes 50%) of sovereign states defaulting in the 1930's and in the 1950's. Defaults tend to happen in clusters, the last one was around 2000 when Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Russia and the Ukraine (Ukraine defaulted twice!) occurred. Once Greece defaults expect more countries to follow. This document has a history and analysis of defaults and currency debasement. Has the UK ever defaulted, yes, but not in modern times. The UK defaulted 3 times before 1600, the first in 1340. Guess which country was the first to default, in written history, yes you've guessed it Greece in 377BC and she has defaulted 5 times since independence. Spain holds the record having defaulted 13 times since 1496!
http://www.economics.harvard.edu/files/faculty/51_This_Time_Is_Different.pdf
This paper has analysed a number of recent defaults and shows that once a country defaults, their economy starts to recover almost immediately and unemployment starts to drop.
http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=845952
If Merkel with her poodle continue down this path, things will at some point get very, very ugly and brutal, as future diktats will demand every further compliance and subservience to Germany and her poodle's demands, as their confidence grows in much the same way as Hitler's did, from 1933 to 1938.
The 1930' Great Depression, went like this: Financial markets crashing and economies going into recession (like 2008), followed by currency wars where everybody is trying to make their currency lower than everybody else (UK have been more successful than most with 25% devaluation, but it has not improved our economic performance, just increased inflation and decreased living standards to produce stagflation), this is followed by trade barriers and trade wars and finally followed by real war.
If you had asked me three months ago what are the chances of a war in Europe over the Eurozone problems, I would have said 1 in 10,000, now I think it has fallen to 1 in 1000 or maybe even as low as 1 in 100. With 23% unemployment (and rising) in Spain and over 50% youth unemployment, these are the sort of levels that you start to get serious unrest (like the Arab Spring, this was primarily over high unemployment). If Spain can't control the problems, will we see another German intervention like in 1936 (This time with her Poodle's help)?
These sorts of ultimatums were made by the megalomanic madman to annex Austria, Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia and finally the rest of Czechoslovakia. He came unstuck over Poland and as they say the rest is history.
The really bad news is that the more I read and research the into the causes of the Euro crisis, the more I realize that Germany is at the heart of it, with the French their
1. Germany and France drove a train through the original Euro stability pact, which stated sovereign debt must not exceed 60% of GDP and a maximum budget deficit of 3%. When Germany and France were confronted by the EU commission, Germany and France got other Governments to vote with them (including the fool Brown) to defeat the EU commission.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16761087
2. Part of the Eurozone rules include a pact that there would be a target for wages to increases in all of the Eurozone countries by 2% per year. France, stuck to this 2% target, Southern Europe broke it by exceeding 2% and Germany broke it by targeting a lower in reality 1.4%. This gave them a competitive advantage with lower prices for goods, which in turn has boosted their trade surplaces and increased the trade in-balances and stresses between the Eurozone countries.
http://seekerblog.com/2012/01/17/euro-crisis-german-unit-labor-cost-repression-is-the-primary-cause-of-periphery-stress/
3. Greece should have defaulted in 2010, rather than being bailed out. If she had done so, it would have stabilized her economy and the country would probably be growing now, the same applies to Ireland, Portugal should be currently considering it and in the future so should Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium and France. Countries defaulting is a surprisingly common occurrence, with 50% (yes 50%) of sovereign states defaulting in the 1930's and in the 1950's. Defaults tend to happen in clusters, the last one was around 2000 when Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Russia and the Ukraine (Ukraine defaulted twice!) occurred. Once Greece defaults expect more countries to follow. This document has a history and analysis of defaults and currency debasement. Has the UK ever defaulted, yes, but not in modern times. The UK defaulted 3 times before 1600, the first in 1340. Guess which country was the first to default, in written history, yes you've guessed it Greece in 377BC and she has defaulted 5 times since independence. Spain holds the record having defaulted 13 times since 1496!
http://www.economics.harvard.edu/files/faculty/51_This_Time_Is_Different.pdf
This paper has analysed a number of recent defaults and shows that once a country defaults, their economy starts to recover almost immediately and unemployment starts to drop.
http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=845952
If Merkel with her poodle continue down this path, things will at some point get very, very ugly and brutal, as future diktats will demand every further compliance and subservience to Germany and her poodle's demands, as their confidence grows in much the same way as Hitler's did, from 1933 to 1938.
The 1930' Great Depression, went like this: Financial markets crashing and economies going into recession (like 2008), followed by currency wars where everybody is trying to make their currency lower than everybody else (UK have been more successful than most with 25% devaluation, but it has not improved our economic performance, just increased inflation and decreased living standards to produce stagflation), this is followed by trade barriers and trade wars and finally followed by real war.
If you had asked me three months ago what are the chances of a war in Europe over the Eurozone problems, I would have said 1 in 10,000, now I think it has fallen to 1 in 1000 or maybe even as low as 1 in 100. With 23% unemployment (and rising) in Spain and over 50% youth unemployment, these are the sort of levels that you start to get serious unrest (like the Arab Spring, this was primarily over high unemployment). If Spain can't control the problems, will we see another German intervention like in 1936 (This time with her Poodle's help)?
7160
General Discussion Area / Re: Good lord! What does she look like...
« on: 28 January 2012, 01:13:06 »
pmsl
7161
General Discussion Area / Re: The Olympic Games............
« on: 28 January 2012, 01:07:18 »
Where sporty Millwall can do 4 push ups in a morning, is he also a 100m sprinter....
7162
General Discussion Area / Re: colds
« on: 28 January 2012, 00:52:23 »
Darth's just taken up fishing.
7163
General Discussion Area / Re: colds
« on: 27 January 2012, 23:15:31 »
As soon as I feel I'm getting a sore throat, I suck zinc tablets as it is medically proven that they stop the virus from breeding. This way your body has less viruses to fight so the cold is milder and you get over it quicker.
You used to able to get special zinc tablets to fight colds, but they no longer seem to be available, so I just use plain zinc tables from the chemist. They don't taste very nice, but it is worth it.
I've found to my cost if you leave it until you have very sort throat, it is too late and won't make much difference.
You used to able to get special zinc tablets to fight colds, but they no longer seem to be available, so I just use plain zinc tables from the chemist. They don't taste very nice, but it is worth it.
I've found to my cost if you leave it until you have very sort throat, it is too late and won't make much difference.
7164
General Discussion Area / Re: Bloody taxes..
« on: 27 January 2012, 22:57:41 »
It is not from the big overpaid / underpaid PAYE scandal of about 12 months ago is it?
My next door neighbour, got one of these about 9 months ago, for underpayment of several thousand, just as he was retiring. It was a nice retirement present, not. Even worse he was a civil servant, so two government departments between then couldn't get his tax right.
My next door neighbour, got one of these about 9 months ago, for underpayment of several thousand, just as he was retiring. It was a nice retirement present, not. Even worse he was a civil servant, so two government departments between then couldn't get his tax right.
7165
General Discussion Area / Re: Nice bonus !
« on: 27 January 2012, 22:19:53 »
Albs, the best business bank manager I every had, hated being a bank manager, but as he put it, it paid for him and his family to have a comfortable life and his hobby of restoring classic cars. He was completely honest and very cynical, like when my business had lots of money in the bank he would say do you want to borrow any money, we have to ask when you are no risk, but when you have little money in the bank and need to borrow some, we won't want to lend you any as you don't have any in the bank so you are now a risk.
In those days I had a big enough business to be taken out to lunch to review the account about every 6 months. Then it all changed to appointed business managers, who seemed to change about every 6 weeks and how you were looked after was very hit and miss, no more reviews over lunch, although having said that when I did need a borrowing facility, I away put together a good presentation and cash flow projections and was never turned down.
What I dislike about banks at the moment is the too big to fail situation and the resultant lack of moral hazard. This is partly due to the fool Brown, scrapping many of the rules and completely screwing the regulatory system, like he did everything else.
But the banks are not without blame, just because you are allowed to something, does not mean you should do something. All the recessions I have lived through, what have the banks made big losses on, yes property, with the UK banks in the past especially on commercial property, where values change considerably between booms and busts. They likeover lending in this area as they think they will get their money back, but of course during a recession the commercial property from the bankrupt developer is worth far less than the boom valuation and mortgage. The money then has to be recouped, with one of the methods being opaque and excessive bank charges.
Now some activities banks are involved in are crucial for society and I appreciate that, but others have dubious or are positively harmful to society, like commodities speculation. Having said that there is also much in the public sector which is positively harmful to society.
I think a very big problem at the moment is the bad press that capitalists get, much of which is their own fault as there a many who give large amounts of money to charitable causes, but it is done on the basis of anonymity. Bill Gates is an exception, where his current mission is to eradicate 12 major diseases (including polio) from the planet.
In those days I had a big enough business to be taken out to lunch to review the account about every 6 months. Then it all changed to appointed business managers, who seemed to change about every 6 weeks and how you were looked after was very hit and miss, no more reviews over lunch, although having said that when I did need a borrowing facility, I away put together a good presentation and cash flow projections and was never turned down.
What I dislike about banks at the moment is the too big to fail situation and the resultant lack of moral hazard. This is partly due to the fool Brown, scrapping many of the rules and completely screwing the regulatory system, like he did everything else.
But the banks are not without blame, just because you are allowed to something, does not mean you should do something. All the recessions I have lived through, what have the banks made big losses on, yes property, with the UK banks in the past especially on commercial property, where values change considerably between booms and busts. They like
Now some activities banks are involved in are crucial for society and I appreciate that, but others have dubious or are positively harmful to society, like commodities speculation. Having said that there is also much in the public sector which is positively harmful to society.
I think a very big problem at the moment is the bad press that capitalists get, much of which is their own fault as there a many who give large amounts of money to charitable causes, but it is done on the basis of anonymity. Bill Gates is an exception, where his current mission is to eradicate 12 major diseases (including polio) from the planet.
7166
General Discussion Area / Re: its my birthday
« on: 27 January 2012, 21:30:22 »
Many happy returns, I hope you are having a good one (and birthday).
7167
General Discussion Area / Re: Nice bonus !
« on: 27 January 2012, 21:24:44 »
Albs, agree with all that you are saying as my thoughts are very much along the same lines.
7168
General Discussion Area / Re: Nice bonus !
« on: 27 January 2012, 21:20:38 »
As much as I dislike banks and haven't got a great deal of time for bankers. We need a strong financial sector in this country. as it is one of the few major industries we have still got.
RBS bailout cost £45bn and Lloylds cost £17bn a total of £62bn. To put this into perspective the financial sector pays about £20bn in taxes each year. So in 3 years having it in the UK has covered the one off £62bn bailout cost. In comparison, how quickly are we going to see all the benefits money paid out in 2008, received back in taxes, I think we all know the answer to this one.
Now if you want RBS to recover you need top class management to turn it around, if he has achieved his targets then he should get his bonus. If he hasn't then he shouldn't get it as IMO any employee should not be rewarded for failure. And it is not just senior management that get rewarded for failure there a plenty of example particularly in the public sector. As it is in shares options for shares in the future it is in his interests to make the bank successful and profitable again.
If I was in that position, I would want and take my bonus, provided I had achieved the targets set. On a smaller scale, if your employer said reach these targets and we will pay you a bonus. At bonus time he then said you have achieved your target, but we are not giving it to you. The local news paper has heard about it and printed a story and many people have complained. How motivated would that leave you to do a good job over the following 12 months?
Now I'm going to do a comparison between two people, so you can decide who is the better value for money?
Wayne Rooney - Position: Player. Employee of Manchester United Football Club. Company revenue about £800m.
Basic Salary £10.4m, Bonuses and Sponsorship deals £8m. Responsible for 0 employees (10 when captain).
Stephen Hester - Position CEO. Employee of RBS. Company revenue about £32,000m.
Basic Salary £1.2m, Bonuses: £0.963m. Responsible for 141,000 employees.
Do I begrudge either of them their money in a word NO, good luck to both of them. We all try to sell our labour and skills for the maximum we can get for them. That is the capitalist system with all of the alternatives infinitely worse in socialism / communism. As the only rewards above the average in these systems are through theft, corruption, political patronage or being a politician. The only equality is that everybody is very poor except the connect few. Go and see the real poverty in many ex-communist countries, where they are still recovering from 60 years of misrule. For capitalist countries to thrive you actually need rich people to invest in their own new projects (like Richard Branson's, whole new industry of space tourism), and also many of them are business angels where they lend money and provide support for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Finally I will finish off with a Russian joke, where during communism the waiting list for a car was many years.
Man receives a phone call from the car manufacturer to tell him he has now been allocated a time slot for receiving his new car and it is in exactly 10 years time. The man then asks if it will be delivered in the morning or afternoon, the man said why does it matter it is 10 years time, to which he replies, I've got the plumber coming in the morning.
RBS bailout cost £45bn and Lloylds cost £17bn a total of £62bn. To put this into perspective the financial sector pays about £20bn in taxes each year. So in 3 years having it in the UK has covered the one off £62bn bailout cost. In comparison, how quickly are we going to see all the benefits money paid out in 2008, received back in taxes, I think we all know the answer to this one.
Now if you want RBS to recover you need top class management to turn it around, if he has achieved his targets then he should get his bonus. If he hasn't then he shouldn't get it as IMO any employee should not be rewarded for failure. And it is not just senior management that get rewarded for failure there a plenty of example particularly in the public sector. As it is in shares options for shares in the future it is in his interests to make the bank successful and profitable again.
If I was in that position, I would want and take my bonus, provided I had achieved the targets set. On a smaller scale, if your employer said reach these targets and we will pay you a bonus. At bonus time he then said you have achieved your target, but we are not giving it to you. The local news paper has heard about it and printed a story and many people have complained. How motivated would that leave you to do a good job over the following 12 months?
Now I'm going to do a comparison between two people, so you can decide who is the better value for money?
Wayne Rooney - Position: Player. Employee of Manchester United Football Club. Company revenue about £800m.
Basic Salary £10.4m, Bonuses and Sponsorship deals £8m. Responsible for 0 employees (10 when captain).
Stephen Hester - Position CEO. Employee of RBS. Company revenue about £32,000m.
Basic Salary £1.2m, Bonuses: £0.963m. Responsible for 141,000 employees.
Do I begrudge either of them their money in a word NO, good luck to both of them. We all try to sell our labour and skills for the maximum we can get for them. That is the capitalist system with all of the alternatives infinitely worse in socialism / communism. As the only rewards above the average in these systems are through theft, corruption, political patronage or being a politician. The only equality is that everybody is very poor except the connect few. Go and see the real poverty in many ex-communist countries, where they are still recovering from 60 years of misrule. For capitalist countries to thrive you actually need rich people to invest in their own new projects (like Richard Branson's, whole new industry of space tourism), and also many of them are business angels where they lend money and provide support for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Finally I will finish off with a Russian joke, where during communism the waiting list for a car was many years.
Man receives a phone call from the car manufacturer to tell him he has now been allocated a time slot for receiving his new car and it is in exactly 10 years time. The man then asks if it will be delivered in the morning or afternoon, the man said why does it matter it is 10 years time, to which he replies, I've got the plumber coming in the morning.
7169
General Discussion Area / Re: The Olympic Games............
« on: 27 January 2012, 01:12:30 »dont do nothing for wales wont be watching it
should make sheepsha**ingshearing an olympic sport ralf. you might watch it then
There you go Albs, that should get the Welsh TV ratings up a bit.
7170
General Discussion Area / Re: would you send your kids here
« on: 26 January 2012, 22:46:31 »
It will bring a whole new meaning to those field trips.
Johnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny, donnnnnnnnnnnnnn't step outside the tape it hasn't been cleared of IEDs.
Johnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny, donnnnnnnnnnnnnn't step outside the tape it hasn't been cleared of IEDs.